Patents submitted to official authorities are made public when they are approved; this case, however, is a bit puzzling.
According to Autoguide, Chevrolet filed them with Europe’s Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market in December. One would assume that they depict the revamped Captiva that’s already 10 years old.
Thing is, Chevrolet has pulled out of Europe. General Motors has decided to keep Opel/Vauxhall as its sole mainstream brand. The only Chevys sold there are the Corvette and Camaro. Furthermore, the patent lists South Korea as the country of priority.
The same report states that Chevy has a vacant slot in its US SUV line-up between the Equinox and Traverse and these “new” patent drawings could preview the model that will slot in, but we highly doubt it.
Even though GM has announced it will extend its platforms’ lifetime and keep its cars relevant by updating their design and fitting them with the latest tech, it would be a massive surprise indeed if the Bow Tie brings such an old model stateside and expect it to succeed in this very competitive segment.
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